FEATURE

FOOTBALL MANAGER'S COAT GUIDE

By Sam Higgins, 11 February 2017

For a football manager, standing on the sidelines for 90 minutes can be a chilly affair (even if the scoreline has them sweating). However, they can make the most of that time – and tens of thousands of onlookers – to showcase their mastery of cold-weather dressing and the winter coat game. And none do it better than these six stylish footy bosses.

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Arsene Wenger

We could hardly start a football managers’ guide to coats without the coaching game's leading purveyor of longline jackets. When it comes to outerwear, Arsene Wenger has his signature style on the sidelines locked down. There’s no danger of a mid-season blip in this department either, his range of oversized lightweight parkas and padded jackets that stretch floorwards remain consistently stylish performers all through the cold season.

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Pep Guardiola

He’s only 46, but he’s already the most successful coach in Barcelona history and among the most decorated managers ever. But, titles aside, the decoration we’re more interested in is his choice of coats. When he’s not sending streetwear enthusiasts into a furore because of his casual choice of a Stone Island sweatshirt and Converse trainers to manage his team in, Pep keeps things serious and smart, throwing on a sharp black overcoat as a fail-safe cover-up.

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Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte doesn’t need a huge parka to huddle in, as he usually spends the whole 90 minutes fidgeting about his technical area, screaming orders to players or diving into the crowd to celebrate with fans. Instead, the Chelsea manager chooses a more lightweight take on a padded jacket to cover up his smarter cuts beneath and adds extra cosiness through a thick snood – a title-worthy combo.

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Eddie Howe

Not all managers' sideline style is so nonchalant. Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe for example, rarely adopts anything other than the colours of his beloved team. But, unlike his fellow modish managers, Howe doesn’t just showcase one statement outerwear layer, but throws jackets on jackets regularly. When it’s not a tactical teaming of track jacket and big bulky parka, Howe favours lightweight layering, slotting a waterproof jacket under a padded gilet to bring a functional touch to his cold-weather kit.

Pictures: Getty

José Mourinho

He’s called ‘The Special One’ for a reason, you know. Alright, maybe it was originally because of his justified sporting arrogance on joining Chelsea back in 2004, but we like to think it’s because of José Mourinho’s shrewd selection of stylish jackets. The now-Manchester United manager – like his local rival Pep – takes a somewhat casual approach to management attire, rocking cord trousers and suede shoes regularly, as opposed to the formal finery many don. Here, he pairs that casual bottom-half combination with a lightweight grey quarter-zip jacket and layers an oversized padded jacket to nail a level of cosy cushioning that sits satisfyingly between Michelin Man and your actual duvet.

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Mauricio Pochettino

This season, Mauricio Pochettino’s thoughts have been fixed solely on keeping his Spurs squad up with the league leaders Chelsea. So, considering he still manages to curate a neat collection of smart-casual staples and impressive outerwear, his sartorial efforts deserve even more applause. When the Argentinian is in his finest form, he’s choosing a check-lined black mac jacket to play up top, slotting in nicely in front of an equally slick back two of a lightweight knit and smart shirt.